The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 54, July 1950 - April, 1951 Page: 64
544 p. : ill., ports., maps. (some col.) ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
I purpose to discuss, of course, the collectors, the amateurs
(unquote) who take the bread out of the mouths of booksellers'
children in order to sell large globs of rare books to institutions.
They do, as Dr. Barker pointed out, give the institutions, gratis,
their knowledge of the subject. A very nice gift, because as a
class they are much too well informed to suit the booksellers.
Most of them have good jobs, an expense account, no pay roll to
meet, and the equanimity that accrues when your immediate
economic problems have been solved is a great asset to an already
pragmatic mind.
The late Judge Clarence Wharton collected books. And here
the word takes on a variant meaning. One time I saw a rather
valuable book of Judge Wharton's in another library and I told
the judge that he should demand its return.
"I can't start that, Fletcher," he said. "In the last thirty years
I have lent perhaps two hundred books and in the same period
have borrowed at least eight hundred. Think what an accounting
would do to me."
The judge was always practical and expert at both parry and
thrust. One of his assistants, an author himself, once asked the
judge for an increase in salary.
"I don't ask for this money for dissipation or riotous living,
judge, but I've got four children, another one on the way, and
I've really got to have more money to keep the wolf from the
door."
"What you really need, young man," said the judge, "is some-
thing to keep the stork from the roof."
In the presence of books, the bibliomaniac falls into what
Maury Maverick called the barbarian class. Maury gave me an
order for three or four items only yesterday. A collector standing
by glared at me as though I were an intruder and proceeded
to enter Maury's order in his own notebook.
The amateurs have many naive ways of getting a victim to
drop his guard. I remember a preacher who used to call on the
brethren, mooch a meal, then go up to the attic where the books
were stored and pray for divine guidance. A certain Louisiana
collector big-heartedly gives the natives shiny new copies of Steck
reprints to replace their shabby old Texas books. Pure philan-
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 54, July 1950 - April, 1951, periodical, 1951; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101133/m1/86/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.